Man rescued from Palomar Mountain canyon

PALOMAR MOUNTAIN  Sheriff’s Department search and rescue teams located a missing 23-year-old man on Palomar Mountain Sunday night and retrieved him from the bottom of a canyon.

The teams had been combing the mountain for Joel Melendez, who was last seen at the Christian Conference Center on Doane Valley Road near Nate Harrison Road. He was reported missing about 7:30 p.m. Saturday, sheriff's Lt. Clayton Lisk said.

Melendez was located about 9:15 p.m. Sunday and was extricated from the canyon just before 10 p.m. via helicopter, sheriff's Lt. Scott Amos said.

He was flown to the command post where he was checked out by medics, Amos said.

The search and rescue effort to find Melendez began about noon Sunday.